


Waiting

by gijane7702



Series: Happily Ever After [6]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: 25 Days of Voyager, Babyfic, Christmas, Domestic Fluff, F/M, teeny tiny bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:41:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gijane7702/pseuds/gijane7702
Summary: Chaska waits for Mamma to come home ...
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway
Series: Happily Ever After [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800247
Comments: 20
Kudos: 43





	Waiting

**Author's Note:**

> Part of my Baby Series, but can be read individually 
> 
> Thanks to Ariella884 for setting up 25 Days again this year !!
> 
> Thanks to coffeeblack75 for the beta =)

Janeway Family Farmstead

Bloomington, Indiana, Earth

Stardate 68386

(24 December 2392)

“Mamma …?”

At the pitiful tone in his daughter’s voice, Chakotay looked up from helping his sons wrap presents at the dining-room table. 

Two-year-old Chaska was sitting in the front window of her grandmother’s farmhouse staring down the dark deserted lane. Her white teddy bear with its bright red ribbon, a goodbye gift from her mother, was clutched desperately in her small hands. She hadn’t let go of it since Kathryn had departed. 

As if sensing her father’s gaze on her, Chaska dragged her eyes away from the scene outside. Her dark blue eyes were brimming with tears as she rubbed them and asked him, “Mamma?” 

Chakotay’s heart constricted. Kole and Callen shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. This was the first time in Chaska’s short life that Kathryn had been away from her for more than a weekend. Both mother and daughter were not handling the separation well and their men weren’t sure how to make it better.

Admiral Janeway was on Capella IV, renegotiating the Federation’s mining rights to topaline. The Ten Tribes’ leader was being difficult, knowing how critical their mineral was to a ship’s life-support systems. Negotiations had stalled for over a week, but Kathryn hadn’t given up. The new treaty had eventually been signed and the admiral’s transport ship was bound for Earth the next day. 

Chaska had been fine with daily communiques with Kathryn for the first week of her mother’s absence. Chakotay had to call in Fun-Time Auntie Phee as a distraction by the start of the second week. However, by the end of week three, not even Nanna was enough for Chaska. 

She wanted her Mamma. 

Things got even worse when Kathryn’s transport had to divert to Vulcan for emergency repairs. She had managed to find a Science Academy ship heading to Earth, but was now scheduled to arrive the day after Christmas. Chakotay and the boys had been disappointed, but Chaska had burst into sobbing tears when told. Going to Indiana a day earlier than planned had helped a bit, but by noon Chaska had planted herself in the chair under the front window. She had been on the lookout for her mother ever since. 

Chakotay walked over to his toddler. Stopping right in front of her, he held out his arms. Chaska looked indecisive for a few moments, torn between watching for Mamma and Daddy’s cuddles. Finally, she held her arms up and her father scooped her up. Together they walked back to the dining-room table where the boys were just finishing their wrapping. 

“Hey, Little One,” Kole greeted her. "How are you doing?” Chaska and her oldest brother butted heads often, but Chakotay knew Kole absolutely adored his sister and felt terrible she was so miserable. 

“Hi, Kole,” she replied with her head laid forlornly on Chakotay’s shoulder. She rubbed her eyes again. "Want Mamma."

“Look what I drew, Chaska,” Callen said, holding up a sketch of their mother for her to see.

“Mamma,” Chaska said to Chakotay, pointing at it. "Mamma!"

Chakotay nodded his approval and thanks to Callen. “Yes, that’s Mamma,” he told his daughter. She smiled as Kole took the sketch from Callen and handed it to her. 

“Daddy ... is Mamma! Kiss Mamma!" She waved the picture in Chakotay’s face. "Kiss Mamma, Daddy!"

Chakotay sighed, then kissed the picture of his wife. Chaska beamed at him, then also kissed the paper. He looked over at the boys. Instead of busting his balls, like they usually did over him having to do girly things with their sister, they were smiling approvingly. 

"Daddy love Mamma," Chaska sighed. She leaned her head back against Chakotay’s shoulder clutching the sketch of her mother. "Chaska love Mamma."

When she rubbed her eyes for a third time, Chakotay knew she was done. "Time for bed, Little One,” he told his daughter. “Let’s go say night night to Nanna and Auntie Phee.”

“Okay, Daddy.” Chaska yawned widely, already half-asleep.

Her brothers chuckled then chorused their good nights as Chakotay walked off towards the kitchen. His in-laws were preparing for tomorrow night’s big dinner because Kathryn had insisted that her family not to delay presents or dinner on account of her tardiness. 

After Chaska said goodnight to her grandmother and aunt, her father took her upstairs to her mother’s childhood bedroom, where he and Kathryn slept, Chaska alongside in her crib. Not bothering with a bath, Chakotay stripped Chaska of her clothes, changed her nappy, then helped her into her favorite dinosaur footie pajamas. Gretchen still only had a crib, not a toddler bed, so he knew Chaska was exhausted when she didn’t fight going into the “baby bed”. He didn’t even get to finish her bedtime story before she was fast asleep. 

Early the next morning, Kole and Callen flung the door open and barged into the bedroom. Chakotay nearly fell out of bed. He then realized he was freezing because sometime during the night Chaska had climbed out of her crib and into the bed with him. She had stolen all the blankets. The toddler was stretched out like a starfish, blankets heaped up on her, taking up three-quarters of the mattress. Chakotay must have been tired, because even through all of that he hadn’t woken up – and Chaska was a kicker, just like her mother. 

The boys also woke their sister. She sat upright then looked around groggily for a moment. “Mamma?” she asked her father.

“Presents!” Kole told her. 

Chaska’s face fell.

“It’s Christmas!” Callen added.

“Presents!” Kole repeated, grinning.

She brightened in response to her brothers’ excitement, but still looked around for Kathryn.

Chakotay threw back the bit of blanket he had been left with, got up, and pulled on his bathrobe. He could hear that Gretchen and Phoebe were also awake and moving around in their rooms down the hall. 

When everyone was ready, they all went downstairs together. The boys ran off ahead when they made the first floor landing. The three adults, Chakotay holding Chaska, followed behind them at a more sedate pace. 

At loud shouts of surprise then whoops of glee coming from the boys, Chakotay and the women picked up their pace, but Chakotay stopped short in the doorway to the sunroom. Gretchen and Phoebe peeked around him to see what had surprised him. 

There, standing in front of the traditional Christmas tree, looking exhausted but ecstatic, in her absolutely wrinkled uniform, was Kathryn. 

Kole and Callen had surrounded her. Chakotay could tell she was thrilled to be with them, but the minute she laid eyes on him, her conversation with them ceased. 

Husband and wife exchanged loving glances right before Chaska, finally over her shock of seeing her mother live and in person, bellowed at the top of her lungs, “Mamma!” 

She struggled to get out of her father’s arms. Once he had put her down, she ran straight to Kathryn, who dropped to her knees. Chaska threw herself into her mother’s arms. Burrowing into the embrace as deep as she could, Chaska mumbled “Mamma” repeatedly while Kathryn planted kisses all over the top of her daughter’s head. 

Chakotay grinned dimples-deep at the radiant smile on his wife’s face as she and their daughter hugged fiercely. Over the top of Chaska’s head Kathryn blew a kiss at him, then smiled at her mother and sister. As Chakotay walked over to his wife, Gretchen and Phoebe left to prepare breakfast. After assisting Kathryn to her feet, he enveloped both in a bear hug. Kole and Callen quickly joined in. 

“How?” Chakotay asked Kathryn as the hug broke up and the boys made a beeline for the pile of gifts under the tree. 

“I didn’t ask … but I’m guessing Vulcan ingenuity of some sort,” he was told. At his puzzled eyebrow, she added, “Somehow Captain Avarak managed to get the whole story of the delays and Christmas and all of it out of me over dinner last night. I went to bed soon after, but next thing I knew he was at my quarters at 0130hrs, telling me we’d be arriving at Earth this morning, not tomorrow. After that, I couldn’t sleep!”

They were distracted for a bit when Kole and Callen began exclaiming over their presents. Chaska truly didn’t understand the whole concept of it all, but made happy noises at her parents as Chakotay opened her gifts for her. Neither she or Kathryn would let go of one another. Chaska kept saying “Mamma” and Kathryn would respond with a kiss to her forehead every time. 

Eventually, Chaska prised herself away from her mother and wandered off towards her grandmother who was serving pancakes and bacon with coffee and juice. Chakotay finally managed to hug and kiss his wife properly. Kathryn now looked completely exhausted. He kissed her a final time before telling her, “You need a shower and a nap, my love.”

“I know. I’ll get there soon. Just want to be here with everyone for a bit longer.” She pecked a quick kiss on Kole’s head as he handed her a cup of coffee, then smirked at the glare he shot her. 

“I wish I could thank Captain Avarak for getting you home so quickly,” Chakotay mused out loud.

“Yeah … me too,” Kole agreed.

Kathryn grinned at her husband. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, causing her grin to widen. Finally, right when she knew he was going to say something, she said, “You can tonight … I invited him to dinner.”

She smirked at her son’s snort of laughter and at the flabbergasted look on Chakotay’s face. 

It was good to be home for Christmas.


End file.
